Chicago Children’s Choir (CCC), the nationally recognized non-profit organization that inspires youth to become global citizens through music, will kick off the Year of Chicago Music’s Chicago In Tune, a new 18-day citywide celebration of music, with its joyous Paint the Town Red concert on Thursday, May 21 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.
Paint the Town Red is an annual, free concert featuring all 5,200 young Chicago Children’s Choir singers along with special guest artists (to be announced). Past guest artists have included cast members from the HAMILTON Chicago Company, the Q Brothers Collective, CCC alumna and singer/songwriter Jamila Woods, interdisciplinary instrumental ensemble Mucca Pazza, CCC alumna and Broadway star Allison Semmes and more.
The public is invited to witness firsthand how CCC’s programs inspire and change the lives of thousands across the city through music. This event is free and open to the public with lawn seating available, inviting viewers to enjoy a picnic and a show in the park.
About Year of Chicago Music
In support of Chicago’s thriving music industry, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) have designated 2020 as the Year of Chicago Music with an investment of $3.5 million to highlight its legacy, expanding its audience and strengthen its creative and cultural landscape with a focus on the south and west sides of Chicago. A signature part of the Year of Chicago Music, Chicago In Tune will bring music organizations and venues across the city together to celebrate music of all genres and forms for an 18-day celebration from May 21 through June 7, 2020. Paint the Town Red launches Chicago in Tune which is anchored by three free-admission city music festivals—the Chicago House Music Festival, the Chicago Gospel Music Festival and the Chicago Blues Festival—that spotlight three genres of music born and innovated in Chicago. The 18 days of music will stretch to every corner of the city with free and ticketed events, featuring several participants throughout Chicago.
About Chicago Children’s Choir
Chicago Children’s Choir (CCC), led by its President and Artistic Director Josephine Lee, is a non-profit organization that inspires and unites youth from diverse backgrounds to become global citizens through music. Founded in Hyde Park in direct response to the Civil Rights Movement in 1956, CCC has grown from one choir into a vast network of in-school and after-school programs driven by one mission: to inspire and change lives through music. CCC has impacted the lives of more than 50,000 diverse youth throughout its 62-year history. Since its founding, CCC has focused on building programs that reflect the racial and economic diversity of Chicago. Eighty percent of youth served are from low-moderate income homes, with over 4,000 students annually participating completely free of charge. All singers in CCC programs receive some level of subsidy. High school seniors enrolled in CCC have a 100% graduation and college acceptance rate, becoming global ambassadors who carry on CCC’s core values in a wide array of professional fields. Learn more at ccchoir.org.